STEVE PLATER TAKES MAIDEN VICTORY AT MACAU Lincolnshire Superbike racer Steve Plater, from Woodhall Spa near Lincoln, has taken a resounding win in the Rio Hotel Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix 40th Edition after battling through from fourth place on the opening lap. Plater, who qualified in second place behind six-times winner Michael Rutter was riding the AIM Racing Yamaha R1 and competing in the Superbike class in Macau for the very first time. He had previously competed in the Supersport race on the Sanyo Honda 500 v-twin in 1998 and returned with Honda Racing in 2003 where he finished in third place. The rain clouds that had threatened to halt the event cleared away on race day and Steve lined up alongside his rivals in perfect conditions for the start of the 15-lap race. Rutter took command from the start swiftly followed by Ian Hutchinson leaving Plater to play catch up. He reeled in Hutchinson on lap three going on to hunt down Rutter passing him to take up the lead one lap later. As the race progressed Plater began to pull away but Rutter found a second wind and reduced the gap back down to just 0.346 of a second. Plater was seen to look over his shoulder on lap seven and realising Rutter was in his tyre tracks he stepped up the pace to re-establish a half second lead. But it all nearly ended in tears for both riders as they encountered a backmarker circulating considerably slower. Although he lost momentum Plater got through and continued on his way but Rutter was held up and lost ground. It was all down to the final two laps with Rutter reducing the gap to under a second. But Plater was not going to be denied his win and crossed the finish line 0.962 of a second ahead of Rutter who had to be content with second place and the lap record. Steve was overjoyed with his win and said: “The pace was hot and it was a dog fight between myself and Michael. I just didn’t want him to get away at the start, a leopard doesn’t change his spots and I knew for a fact that he was riding really well and the Stobart Honda is a good bike so I didn’t want to give him any breathing space.” Asked what his plans are for 2007 Steve replied: “Ideally I would like to contest both the British Superbike championship and the World Endurance series subject of course to there not being any date clashes. “I have a few options and hope to have my plans finalised within the next few weeks before settling down to a peaceful Christmas after which I will be preparing for the new season.” Asked if this win was the one that stuck out in his mind as the best this year he replied: “It took me eight years to win the North West 200 and after scoring some nearlys and not quites I managed it this year but the Macau GP to be the best for me as its my first time here on a Superbike and to win on my first attempt makes it even sweeter. “I wanted to finish my season off on a high and I am delighted to have been able to achieve that today!”

At age 19, USGPRU 250 ace and 2006 National Champion Alex Welsh has outgrown Infinity Repli-Cast GP Racing after 2 seasons with the youth focused team. 2006 was wildly successful for both rider and team as they excelled in the USGPRU 125 class and utterly dominated the 250’s. In 30 races started, Infinity Repli-Cast and Alex Welsh reached the podium together 22 times (that’s a .733 batting average for you baseball fans) and spent almost half of them atop the pyramid with 10 wins. “It was truly a remarkable year for us,” said Frank Pate, Infinity Repli-Cast’s manager of U.S. operations. “The USGPRU is an excellent environment for youth to develop their road racing skills and with Infinity Repli-Cast behind him Alex was able to maximize our equipment and decimate the competition in the 250 Class.” But, as with all development programs, athletes grow up and out of them. “We’re a youth road racing team and Alex has reached that inevitable point where his skills and desires to ride bigger, faster machines require him to move on to teams and sponsors who can providethose opportunities,” said Pate. “Of course, like a high school or college football team we’re sad to lose him, but at the same time we’re extremely pleased and proud to pass on a fine young man and winning racer to the lucky team who signs him for 2007.” For the most recent interviews and race footage of Alex and Infinity Repli-Cast’s success together log onto www.OnTheThrottle.tv and click on the race bike. You can learn more about Infinity Repli-Cast GP Racing’s outstanding youth programs at www.TeamInfinityReplicast.net.

Robertino Pietri ran away with both rounds of the FMV Venezuelan Superbike Championship Sunday at the Autodroma Internationale de San Carlos, winning rounds one and two of the FIM-sanctioned Latin American Superbike Championship. Race one was a runaway for Pietri. Leading every lap and running 1:29 lap times, he finished 20.3 seconds clear of defending Venezuelan Superbike Champion Fernando Amantini. Columbian Cesar Telles finished 12 seconds back from Amantini, wowing the crowd with supermoto-style corner entrances. In race two, Pietri had to work a little harder, but it was Telles, not Amantini, who was the challenger. Telles led the field into turn one, with Amantini and Pietri in close tow. Amantini crashed out of the race unhurt on the first lap in the turn known as El Bombillo (The Lightbulb), forcing Pietri to check up. Telles held a three-second lead across the stripe at the end of lap one. Pietri caught Telles and forced his way by on the inside of the 140-mph turn one on lap five, and then pulled away to an eventual 8.6-second victory over Telles. Venezuelan Franco Pellegrino finished third. Pietri currently leads both the Venezuelan and Latin American Superbike Championships, with the next event in one week back at Turagua in Maracay, Santa Cruz, Venezuela. Armando Ferrer put on another dominating performance in Sunday’s 600cc Supersport race, winning by over 10 seconds. Superbike Race One San Carlos, Venezuela November 19, 2006 1. Robertino Pietri, Suzuki GSX-R1000, Pirelli, 18 laps, 27:11.967 2. Fernando Amantini, Kawasaki ZX-10R, Dunlop, 27:32.272, -20.3 seconds 3. Cesar Telles, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 27:44.135, -32.168 seconds 4. Franco Pellegrino, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 28:02.728, -50.76 seconds 5. Ricardo Sune, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 28:02.778, -50.811 seconds Best Lap, Pietri, 1:29.617, 164.700 kph (102.245 mph) Superbike Race Two San Carlos, Venezuela November 19, 2006 1. Pietri, 18 laps, 27:22.223 2. Telles, 27:30.891, -8.668 seconds 3. Pellegrino, 28:37.496, -15.273 seconds 4. Franklin Reveron, Honda CBR1000RR, 28:40.471, -18.248 seconds 5. Norio Rivero, Yamaha YZF-R1, 28:42.345, -20.122 seconds Best Lap, Pietri, 1:30.264, 163.520 kph (101.611 mph) 600cc Supersport San Carlos, Venezuela November 19, 2006 1. Armando Ferrer, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 18 laps, 28:27.326 2. Miguel Boccardo, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 28:37.816, -10.49 seconds 3. Alexander Rodriguez, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 28:57.119, -29.793 seconds 4. Victor Chirinos, Yamaha YZF-R6, 29:07.427, -40.101 seconds 5. Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 29:22.012, -54.686 seconds Best Lap, Ferrer, 1:33.433, 157.974 kph (98.165 mph)

Stauffer Does The Double 2006 Australian Superbike And Supersport Champion Jamie Stauffer has claimed his and Yamaha’s first ever Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek today, capping off a brilliant season with two race wins. Stauffer was clearly ecstatic to secure the series crown, proudly flying the Yamaha flag on a deserved victory lap in front of a strong Sydney crowd at the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Grand Final round. He said the win was something he had dearly wanted to achieve, and felt his own performance and the handling of the bike had improved at each and every meeting. “It’s a great feeling to take my first Superbike title and to do it on a Yamaha is great – to dominate both the classes like we have really proves just how strong the bike is and how well the whole team works together,” said Stauffer. “The YZF-R1 has been the perfect race bike this season but the competition has been tough, there is an enormous amount of talent in the series and I’m very proud to have come out on top. “It will probably take a while for the news to sink in, and I’m actually already looking forward to next year and what looks to be an interesting new format.” His results today take his Superbike race win count to 9, with 7 pole positions to his name. He won 5 from 7 rounds in 2006. It is the third year in a row that a rider has recorded the Superbike/Supersport double – Stauffer joins Honda riders Adam Fergusson and Josh Brookes in this elite group. Interestingly, Stauffer’s stellar season kicked off in similar form at Eastern Creek at the start of the season. He fired from the blocks on debut with the team, taking every available win and sending a clear message to his rivals in the competitive field. So dominant was Stauffer in the earlier Supersport rounds, he was able to secure the Supersport title at the penultimate race meeting, and shift his focus back to clinching the premier Superbike class. He finished the 2005 season in 3rd position with the Kawasaki Racing Team, and made the switch to the distinct blue machines to join his brother Daniel on the YZF-R1 at the beginning of 2006. Stauffer recently put pen to paper to race with the Yamaha Racing Team again in 2007 aboard the new YZF-R1, citing the signing as ‘a very easy decision’. A strong challenge this weekend came from the Suzuki duo of Shawn Giles and Robbie Bugden, with the Team Yoshimura pilots trading podium positions in both races to finish the round equal on points. Giles narrowly claims the advantage over Bugden due to the order of his finishing positions, his 3rd and 2nd edged out Bugden’s 2nd and 3rd at the end of the day. The crowd was able to witness the typical style of the former champ as he looked to round out the season on the podium, and he certainly did not disappoint. “Full credit must go to Yamaha and Jamie for taking the title, they’ve been strong all year,” began Giles. “It’s certainly tough racing after being off the bike for such a long time, I can’t say enough about the tyres and the bike this weekend and I’m really pleased to finish on a high note.” Russell Holland struggled to find a comfortable race setup aboard his Demolition Plus Honda this weekend, but is certainly still a worthy recipient of championship runner-up place. “The pace just wasn’t there,” said Holland, post-race. “We were struggling with grip and just didn’t have anything to offer the leaders, which is disappointing considering the fantastic season we have had. “I can’t wait to get underway with the factory team in the new year.” Very rarely does a privateer come so close to challenging for a national series win, and he will certainly be one to watch in 2007 as he launches his assault on the championship with full factory support at Teknic Honda. Mark Aitchison proved unstoppable in today’s Supersport races, and has secured a strong second placing in the series with a dominant display at Eastern Creek. For the second round in a row, Aitchison took pole position and clean swept both races, surely making him favourite to challenge teammate and 2006 champion Jamie Stauffer next season. Jason O’Halloran completed an R6 1-2-3 in the category, cementing Yamaha’s position as the premier manufacturer in the 2006 series. The provisional 2007 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship calendar was recently revealed, featuring an earlier start and two ‘double-header’ rounds at Queensland Raceway and Winton Motor Raceway. The series will return to Tasmania’s Symmons Plains after an immensely successful round this year, and the season is expected to conclude much earlier. YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Race 1 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R1 2. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 3. Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 4. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Demolition Plus Honda / Pirelli Tyres. Honda CBR RR 5. Bryan STARING (WA) / Jardine Honda. Honda CBR RR 6. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda. Honda CBR RR 7. Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong. Suzuki GSXR 8. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team. Kawasaki ZX10R 9. Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) / Kirk McCarthy Award / Suzuki Aust. / Phil Tainton. Suzuki GSXR 10. Trent GIBSON (VIC) / Team Gibson. Suzuki GSXR YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Race 2 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R1 2. Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR 4. Bryan STARING (WA) / Jardine Honda. Honda CBR RR 5. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team. Kawasaki ZX10R 6. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Demolition Plus Honda / Pirelli Tyres. Honda CBR RR 7. Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong. Suzuki GSXR 8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda. Honda CBR RR 9. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / 1300 Kawasaki / Pirelli. Kawasaki ZX10R 10. Ashley ROE (VIC) / Roe Motorcycles / Chemblast / Michelin. Honda CBR RR YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Round Results 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 51 2. Shawn GILES (NSW) 38 3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 38 4. Bryan STARING (WA) 33 5. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) 32 6. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) 29 7. Andrew STROUD (NZ) 28 8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 28 9. Trent GIBSON (VIC) 20 10. Brenden GUROWSKI (QLD) 18 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship Final Points Standings 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 320 (2006 YMF Loan Australian Superbike Champion) 2. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) 264 3. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) 204.5 4. Andrew STROUD (NZ) 201 5. Scott CHARLTON (VIC) 157.5 6. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) 155.5 7. Daniel STAUFFER (NSW) 150 8. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) 134 9. Shawn GILES (NSW) 130 10. Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) 124.5 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship Final Points Standings 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) 305 (2006 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Champion) 2. Mark AITCHISON (NSW) 245 3. Jason O’HALLORAN (NSW) 218 4. Jeremy CROWE (NSW) 193 5. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) 180 6. Joshua WATERS (VIC) 170 7. Shaun GERONIMI (NSW) 153 8. Bryan STARING (WA) 153 9. Brendan CLARKE (QLD) 138 10. Judd GREEDY (VIC) 130

Robertino Pietri qualified on pole for this weekend’s Latin American Championship races, setting a new lap record of 1:29.220 at Autodroma Internationale de San Carlos in Venezuela. Pietri is riding an AMA-Superstock-legal Roadracingworld.com Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the event, which features two FMV Venezuelan Superbike Championship races that count toward the FIM Latin American Championship. Saturday afternoon thunderstorms and schedule delays resulted in the first of the two planned Superbike races being moved to Sunday. Weather for Sunday looks promising. AMA Supersport regular Armando Ferrer won Saturday’s 600cc Supersport race by 12 seconds on a wet but drying track. FIM Latin American Championship Superbike Qualifying Saturday, November 18 San Carlos, Venezuela 1. Robertino Pietri (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:29.220 2. Fernando Amantini (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:29.750 3. Cesar Telles (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:31.637 4. Ricardo Sune (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:31.904 5. Franco Pellegrino (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:33.729 FMV 600cc Supersport Championship Race Results Saturday, November 18 San Carlos, Venezuela 1. Armando Ferrer (Kaw ZX-6RR), 17 laps, 29:19.537 2. Carlos Gulfo (Suz GSX-R600), 29:31.870, -12.333 seconds 3. Victor Chirinos (Kaw ZX-6RR), 29:41.763, -22.226 seconds 4. Miguel Boccardo (Kaw ZX-6RR), 29:45.145, -25.608 seconds 5. Juan Carlos Rodriguez (Kaw ZX-6RR), 30:42.132, -82.595 seconds

The scene is set for the final round of the YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship at Eastern Creek, with title favourite Jamie Stauffer maintaining his unblemished qualifying record, adding another pole position to his extensive list of 2006 achievements today. With just minutes remaining in the final session, Stauffer emerged from the pits and shattered his previous best effort, laying down a 1.30.321 – the fastest ever recorded lap of Eastern Creek by a motorcycle rider. The time shaved a narrow margin off the benchmark of Grand Prix rider, Spaniard Alex Criville set on a 500cc GP machine the last time the Aussie GP was run at Eastern Creek. Stauffer will now have started from the number 1 position on the grid at every Superbike race in 2006, and is just two races away from claiming the first ever number 1 plate for Yamaha. “This is fantastic news, when I did the lap I wasn’t actually aware I’d gone that fast, I had to wait until I’d ridden back into the pits for the guys to tell me,” said Stauffer. “The bike felt great out there today, things looked a bit grim after the first session where we finished third, but with a little more heat in the track and a different Dunlop tyre we were really able to work at that time.” “7 poles from 7 rounds in the season is really pleasing also, I wasn’t actually focusing on breaking any kind of record this weekend and it really is a testament to the bike and the team that I’m able to go out there and lap this quickly.” “Tomorrow should be a great day for racing, I really hope we can wrap up Yamaha’s first ever Superbike title and finish the season off with a few more wins.” Early pacesetter Shannon Johnson appeared to have extracted every last thousandth from his Kawasaki early in the piece, and was powerless to stop Stauffer as he disposed of the time by mid-session. Suzuki’s Shawn Giles laid down a late challenge, and slipped by Johnson to eclipse the 1-minute-32-second bracket. Teammate Robbie Bugden did well to hold onto the final front row placing, and is looking to go one better after finishing on the second step of the podium at the previous round. Suzuki is leading the charge in the Superbike manufacturer standings, overtaking Yamaha at the previous round and looking to build on its points advantage this weekend. Contributing the bulk of the points for the manufacturer this year has been New Zealand Superbike champion, Brother/SsangYong-backed rider Andrew Stroud, who was uncharacteristically off the pace today in qualifying. Shannon Etheridge delivered one of his best qualifying performances of the season, coming in close behind the factory GSX-R pairing to finish in 6th. Another strong performance came from Honda’s Bryan Staring, in his first round of racing the factory CBR1000RR. With teammate Adam Fergusson sidelined, Staring was quick to adapt and showed Honda why their decision to include him in their Superbike lineup next year was a good one 1.33.324 places him on the second row of the grid in 7th place. “I’m pretty happy with how the session went today, the Superbike is certainly very different to ride but I feel very comfortable on it already,” said Staring. “There’s considerably more power and obviously it’s a lot heavier, but it’s really very smooth through the corners and seems to suit Eastern Creek very well.” “I’m looking forward to getting out there tomorrow and stringing together some good results, we’re not in any kind of championship battle here so I can afford to really push the limits.” Each of tomorrow’s races is good for 25 points, and if the current pace is anything to go by, there is set to be a monumental fight for the minor placings within the top 10 tomorrow, with a number of riders needing every point to improve their championship berths. Racing begins at 9am, with the premier Superbike races set to kick off at approximately 11.30am. YMF Loan Australian Superbike Championship, Eastern Creek Qualifying. 1. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R1. 1:30.321 2. Shawn GILES (NSW) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR. 1:31.889 3. Shannon JOHNSON (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team. Kawasaki ZX10R. 1:32.055 4. Robert BUGDEN (QLD) / Team Yoshimura Suzuki. Suzuki GSXR. 1:32.812 5. Russell HOLLAND (NSW) / Demolition Plus Honda / Pirelli Tyres. Honda CBR RR. 1:33.124 6. Shannon ETHERIDGE (NSW) / Kirk McCarthy Award / Suzuki Aust. / Phil Tainton. Suzuki GSXR. 1:33.270 7. Bryan STARING (WA) / Jardine Honda. Honda CBR RR. 1:33.324 8. Glenn ALLERTON (NSW) / Joe Rocket Honda. Honda CBR RR. 1:33.424 9. Wayne MAXWELL (NSW) / 1300 Kawasaki / Pirelli. Kawasaki ZX10R. 1:33.971 10. Andrew STROUD (NZ) / Superbike New Zealand / Brother / SsangYong. Suzuki GSXR. 1:34.596 YMF Loan Australian Supersport Championship, Eastern Creek Qualifying. 1. Mark AITCHISON (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R6. 1:33.397 2. Jeremy CROWE (NSW) / Sydney Mesh & Steel / Yamaha. Yamaha R6. 1:33.553 3. Jamie STAUFFER (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R6. 1:33.763 4. Jason O’HALLORAN (NSW) / Yamaha Racing Team. Yamaha R6. 1:34.474 5. Shaun GERONIMI (NSW) / Sydney Mesh & Steel / Geronimi Concreting. Yamaha R6. 1:34.478 6. Judd GREEDY (VIC) / Redwing Honda / Clearmake/Dickies. Honda CBR RR. 1:34.994 7. Christopher SEATON (VIC) Kawasaki ZX6RR. 1:35.441 8. Gareth JONES (QLD) / Electroregenesis Racing / Ausflo Water Industries. Yamaha R6. 1:35.692 9. Zac DAVIES (NSW) Yamaha R6. 1:35.747 10. Joshua WATERS (VIC) / Kawasaki Racing Team. Kawasaki ZX6RR. 1:36.071